


Mistletoe Mishaps

by FlowerButter42



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 23:37:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17171621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlowerButter42/pseuds/FlowerButter42
Summary: What happens when Alya and Nino set up mistletoe in the doorway at school and Adrien and Marinette are caught under it? What chaos unfolds between our two heroes?





	Mistletoe Mishaps

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chimpukampu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chimpukampu/gifts).



“I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas!” Marinette exclaimed as she and Alya walked into the school.

 

“I know. It’s my favorite time of the year! This year has gone by so quickly. Maybe I should do like a recap of the year,” Alya suggested.

 

“Not much has happened, just the usual stuff, Ladybug and Chat Noir saving the day, and Hawk Moth constantly losing,” Marinette stated.

 

“Yeah, but it’s been a bit crazier. For one, there was that day when there were all of those akumas. I swear, I thought Hawk Moth was going to win for once; he’s been causing a lot more damage lately. Your hat was featured in one of Gabriel’s fashion shows, and Lila’s back,” Alya mentioned. “Plus, there was that rumor that you and Chat were a thing.” she sang.

 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Please. Like _that_ would ever happen. You can’t have a real relationship with someone if they hide behind a mask, and he can’t tell me his identity. What if Hawk Moth somehow found out? I’d be a target. Plus, you already know I have eyes for. _only_ one person,” Marinette argued.

 

“Hey, did you bring your sketchbook? I want to take some pictures of your derby hat sketches for if I do a recap.” Alya asked as they walked in the classroom doorway.

 

“Um, let me see,” Marinette paused in the doorway to look through her bag.

 

“I don’t know, man. Let me see. I don’t normally carry it around but there’s a small chance that it somehow ended up in my bag.”

 

Marinette froze. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a white jacket.

 

_Oh my gosh. He’s so close. Why is he so close? What do I do? Do I say anything? No. Focus Marinette. Find your sketchbook._

 

She continued to look through her back. “Sorry. I don’t have it. I’ll bring it tomorrow.” the two apologized at the same time. Their eyes locked and even though it was only for a few moments, it felt like an eternity.

 

“Oh my gosh, guys, look up, ” Alya gasped.

 

The pair followed Alya’s gaze until they saw that hanging from the top of the doorway was _mistletoe_. The two looked back at each other.

 

“You guys have to do it. It’s bad luck if you don’t do it,” Alya told them.

 

“Oh, now that’s just superstition. Everyone knows that’s not true. It’s a stupid thing, practically forcing two people to kiss. People should be able to kiss who they want.” Lila spat.

 

“It’s not like it means anything. It’s a fun tradition and prank.” Nino explained.

 

“Yeah, Lila. We all know you hate Marinette and have a thing for Adrien. You just don’t want them kissing.” Alya added.

 

“Oh my gosh!” Chloe exclaimed, pointing at the doorway.

 

Everyone turned their eyes to Adrien and Marinette kissing. Marinette cupped Adrien’s face in her hands. His hands were hovering in the air, and it was clear he didn’t know what to do. Eventually his hands inched towards her waist, but she pulled away. He opened his eyes and looked at her, utterly shocked. There was dead silence from the entire class.

 

Marinette’s lips quivered. It was clear she wanted to say something but the words wouldn’t form. “I-I have to go.” she finally managed to sputter before she dashed off towards the locker room.

***

“I’m so stupid, Tikki,” Marinette sobbed.

 

“You’re not, Marinette. You acted on your emotions, it’s not always a bad thing. You’ve been getting closer to telling Adrien how you feel lately, maybe this is a step in the right direction.” the small kwami suggested. Marinette continued to cry. “Marinette, please don’t. Remember what happened last time? You almost got akumatized. Do you realize how devastating that could be?” Tikki warned.

 

Marinette wiped her eyes. “I’m not sad, I’m embarrassed and I feel really stupid because of it. How will I ever show my face in there again?” she wondered.

 

“You’re going to have to find some way. You need to learn,” Tikki stated.

 

“Marinette?” a voice  interrupted. Tikki quickly hid before Alya walked in. “I’m sorry,” she apologized.

 

“For what?” Marinette sniffed.

 

“What do you mean ‘for what’? You didn’t even consider that maybe I put up the mistletoe? Well, not me. Nino did that but I came up with the idea.” Alya explained.

 

“ _You_ set up the mistletoe?” Marinette exclaimed.

 

“Yeah, I just really want you two to get together. You guys are perfect for each other. I wasn’t even sure how I was going to do it. Then the idea of a recap came to my head and then your sketchbook. I knew you didn’t have it.” Alya confessed. The bell rang cutting the conversation short. “Come on, I know you probably don’t want to but we need to get to class. At least you won’t be the only one late.” she stated.

 

Marinette smiled softly and stood up. They walked to class. “-aire, Alya?” Miss Bustier called out as they walked in.

 

“Here,” Alya responded.

 

“I know it’s normal for Marinette to be late, but you never are Alya,” Miss Bustier mentioned.

“Sorry, I was helping Marinette. Something was stuck in her locker,” she lied.

 

“Alright,” Miss Bustier continued, “Couffaine, Juleka?”

 

“Here,” Juleka replied.

 

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Alya whispered.

 

“I am. Really.” Marinette reassured.

 

“Ok, I just want to make sure. I’ll ask Nino to take down the mistletoe after school. I swear it won’t ever happen again.” Alya confirmed.

 

“Moreau, Tiana?” Miss Bustier asked.

 

“Here.” a voice called back from the back of the room.

 

Marinette looked at the blond in front of her. Would he even talk to her about it? What did he consider the kiss? Just something she had done because it was tradition and that it didn’t mean anything? What did _she_ consider the kiss? Her head was spinning. She needed to focus on school.

***

Plagg was munching on cheese while Adrien was sitting at his desk. Adrien let out a loud frustrated groan, and chucked a crumpled piece of paper in his kwami’s direction. Unfortunately, Plagg quickly dodged the paper.

 

“Woah, what’s got your whiskers in a twist, and why do you have to take it out on me?” the kwami questioned.

 

Adrien groaned, “I don’t know who I like!”

 

“Oh. Blah. Love stuff. Why can’t you humans stick to one person? You’ve liked Ladybug for the longest time then suddenly you start to like Kagami, then Marinette then back to Ladybug and now you’re back to Marinette.” Plagg complained.

 

“Oh shut up, or I’ll throw another piece of paper at you, this time on purpose.” Adrien threatened.

 

“Alright, alright. Besides, you interrupted my snacking,” the kwami muttered.

 

“I just- ugh. I don’t know what to do. I want to see her, but I don’t want to wait until tomorrow. At the same time, I like Ladybug. I just- I don’t know,” he explained.

 

“Well I’m not getting involved in this, that’s all I know,” Plagg vowed.

 

Adrien sighed, “Sorry buddy but you’re kind of going to have to. Plagg, claws out!” he called out. Plagg let out a cry as he was swept into Adrien’s ring. Chat Noir opened a drawer in his desk. “This was meant as a joke for Ladybug, but…..looks like I’m using it tonight.” He murmured then grabbed the headband sitting in the drawer. He removed his staff from his waist and took off into the night towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

***

Marinette was sitting in her lounge chair looking out at the sky. She didn’t want to think about today right now and the night sky was rather beautiful. Her eyes slowly started to close. She had nearly drifted off to sleep when suddenly there was a loud thump. She jumped and sat upright quickly, her eyes wide open.

 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

 

She turned to her left to see Chat Noir standing there. “I, uh, it’s ok. Some people might be. Most don’t expect random people on their balconies, especially not a superhero. Though I would’ve expected you to be much quieter and graceful, like a real cat.” she joked as she stood up.

 

He let out a small laugh.

 

“What are you doing here? I didn’t think you’d ever come back after what I did to you.” she wondered.

 

“I’m sorry, have you met me? I’m the king of constantly being rejected. Ladybug does it all the time but I still hang around with her.” He responded.

 

“Yeah, but she’s your partner. You guys need each other,” she pointed out.

 

He shrugged.

 

“Anyways, nice to meet you oh royal King of Constantly Being Rejected. I’m the Queen of The Friendzone,” she announced with a bow.

 

“Oh, I’ve been there a few times. Nice place. Nice people,” he commented.

 

Marinette laughed as she stood up straight. “Admit it, it kind of sucks.” she declared.

 

“Yeah, it kind of does. But once you get used to it you can kind of see the beauty in it…..somewhat,” he confessed.

 

Marinette smiled. She noticed a white headband on him. It had some sort of stick coming from it. She looked up. _No. No. No. No. I’ve had enough with mistletoe! Why does he even have it? Does he still like me? Surely it was meant for Ladybug._ She looked back at him and he was rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“I, um, it….” He couldn’t find the words.

 

“Were you looking for Ladybug?” she asked.

 

“Um, no. I-I wasn’t. I-I was looking for you. It’s for u-us.” he stuttered.

 

_Stupid cat. Why do you have to fall for both sides of me? Pick one, please!_

 

“Look, it doesn’t have to mean anything. I know you don’t like me like that but I kind of like you.” he admitted.

 

She crossed her arms then sighed, “Ok. But it doesn’t mean anything, alright?” She reminded him.

 

“Yeah, It doesn’t mean anything.” He repeated slightly distracted as he moved his hand to the back of her neck. He pulled her in for the kiss. The sweet scent of the bakery filled his nose again as it did this morning. He put his other hand on her waist and pulled her in closer.

 

She put her hands on his shoulders. _It doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean anything._ She repeated that phrase in her head until the broke apart. Both were slightly panting.

 

“I-I’ll see you around Marinette,” Chat Noir said. He grabbed his staff from his waist and took off into the night.

 

Marinette watched him go. “Stupid cat, stupid cat, stupid cat!” she muttered before releasing a  groan in frustration. She ran her hand through her hair which she had let down only about an hour before Chat Noir had arrived. Her hand got stuck on something. She pulled the strange object out of her hair with only slight pain; it was mistletoe. “It must’ve gotten caught in my hair while he kissed me. I’m surprised I didn’t notice it,” she sighed. “I can’t have him falling for me. A superhero and a citizen shouldn’t date.” she said firmly. “He needs to fall for Ladybug.”

 

“But you are Ladybug,” Tikki pointed out.

 

“He just has to fall for me. He doesn’t have to date me.” Marinette responded. “Tomorrow at patrol, I’ll find a way to make sure his feelings for Ladybug stay. I can’t have him falling for me.” She yawned. “But right now I need sleep.” She walked towards the hatch that separated her balcony and room and climbed down inside. Tomorrow, everything would be fixed.

***

Marinette sat down at her desk. Today had been weird. Like, _really_ weird. Adrien was constantly trying to talk to her when he could and when he did he stuttered. _A lot_. That was weird sure but what made it weirder was she barely stuttered at all. Heck, she had acted a little sassy towards him. That only seemed to make him act more awkward. “Ok, I need to focus on patrol. I need to get Chat off my case so I can focus on being with Adrien.” she muttered to herself.

 

“But he’ll go to Ladybug and you are Ladybug. Marinette, your plan doesn’t make sense. It won’t work.” Tikki pointed out.

 

“I’m sure it will Tikki. Once I get with Adrien, I’ll tell Chat, as Ladybug that I’m with someone else. If he tries to come to Marinette, then I’ll again tell him that I’m with someone else. I’m sure there are so many girls swooning at his feet that he’ll be able to find someone else to be with. Plus he’s used to rejection. He said that last night. I know I’ll be be breaking his heart but this is the only way.” Marinette explained.

 

“What exactly is your plan to get Chat focus on Ladybug and not Marinette?” Tikki inquired.

 

“What he did to me last night,” Marinette answered as she opened one of her drawers and started digging through it.

 

“Marinette you can’t be serious! You can’t be leading him on like that. If you kiss him he’ll think you like him, but you don’t. Please, don’t do this Marinette. This isn’t how you treat a friend.” Tikki begged.

 

Marinette paused for a moment. “I’ll tell him that it won’t mean anything for me, but if he wants to take it as meaning something then that’s on his own accord.” She stated and continued to work.

 

Tikki looked at her worriedly, but said nothing. She couldn’t do more than offer guidance. She couldn’t force Marinette to do anything. She just hoped for the best and that this whole thing wouldn’t spin out of control.

***

Ladybug ran across the rooftops with the headband on her head. She saw Chat Noir standing on their normal meeting spot. She jumped over the railing then proceeded to lean back against it.. “Hey there, Kitty. Ready for patrol?”

 

Chat jumped and she began to wonder if she had startled him.

 

“What? Oh, yeah. I’m ready whenever you are, M’lady.” He turned around and froze fighting a blush that was creeping onto his face. “I-is that- do you? W-why do you have mistletoe on a headband?”

 

“Why else?” she wondered, walking towards him. He backed up only slightly until he his the railing. She was up in his face now, a smirk on her lips.

 

“I, um, it’s just that I wasn’t e-expecting this. T-that’s all.” he stammered.

 

“That’s what a lot of mistletoe kisses are,” she paused as a mischievous smirk spread across her face. “Unexpected.”

 

“I just didn’t expect this from you. You like someone else; shouldn’t you be saving this for him?” he questioned.

 

“Look, it’s Christmas. Most mistletoe kisses don’t mean anything. It’s all in good fun. Have a little Christmas spirit, kitty. This doesn’t mean anything to me, but if you want it to mean something to you then go ahead.” she explained.

 

“So you find toying with people’s emotions fun?” he huffed crossing his arms against his chest.

 

“No no kitty. It’s not. But I know you’re feelings for me are fading. I can tell you like someone else, don’t you?” she asked.

 

He sighed. “I guess I kinda do,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“So come on. It won’t mean anything. Live a little.” she convinced him.

 

He sighed. “Alright.” He attempted to lean in and kiss her but she was quicker.

 

She cupped his face in her hands as his hands fell on her waist. _Why does this seem familiar?_ He breathed her scent in. _She smells like the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Did she go there recently? But this feels more familiar than just her scent._ His head was spinning.

 

She pulled away after what felt like quite a while but was only a few moments. “Well, I guess we should get started on patrol.”  

 

“Um, yeah.” he agreed. She grabbed her yo-yo and took off. He watched, all the while so many thoughts flew around in his brain. He shook his head and grabbed his staff; he needed to focus on patrol. He could think about what had just happened after, at home. He jumped off the roof, extended his staff, and took off.

***

Adrien sat down at his desk. “I can’t place it. That kiss was way too familiar.” he thought out loud.

 

“She said it didn’t mean anything kid, and you agreed. So stop fussing about it and get some sleep, you’ve got school tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow you’ll actually be able to talk normally to Marinette like you used too. All your stuttering and awkwardness makes me sick and therefore I must eat to get rid of the feeling,” Plagg mentioned.

 

Adrien sighed, “It’s not like I’m really fussing over it. It just seemed too familiar and I’m trying to place it. Maybe this could give me a clue as to who she is,” he explained. _She smelled like the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Maybe she visits there? Maybe she’s friends with Marinette? Or maybe Marinette was in danger and Ladybug was trying to help her. No. She would’ve mentioned if she had taken care of something before patrol. The scent wasn’t the only familiar thing. The way she kissed me was also faintly familiar….._ He rubbed his forehead trying to stop the spinning. He’d sleep on it. Plus, why was he fussing over Ladybug? He’d have a better chance at getting close to Marinette. She definitely seemed more comfortable around him. He got up and started getting ready to sleep when suddenly it hit him.

 

 _Of course! The way she kissed me was like the way Marinette had! How did I not notice? But why? Why would the be so similar? Do all girls kiss the same way?_ His head hurt again. _I’ll figure this out tomorrow. Maybe if I can get a kiss from Ladybug I can figure this out. But I’d have to transform to do that. There’s no way I’d be able to get a kiss from her as Adrien. Not unless I did it after she saved me but all of Paris would be watching._

 

He shook his head and walked out of his bathroom. He’d figure it all out tomorrow. He needed to know why both girls had such similar kisses. He laid down and closed his eyes. One detail still gnawed at the back of his mind.

 

Why did Ladybug smell like the Dupain-Cheng bakery?

***

It had been a week. It wasn’t his fault his father had asked that he attend his business meetings when he got out of school. Plus, when Adrien had tried to figure out a plan, he noticed the mistletoe on his headband was gone. He must’ve lost it on his way home or at the bakery. He couldn’t get another one. He had gone through a lot to get just that one. He had transformed into Chat Noir then detransformed near a store. He had brought a black hoodie and put it on as his cover but the next day his father found the hoodie and had thrown it out. It was useless. He wasn’t ever going to find out why Ladybug and Marinette had kissed him in such similar ways. Heck, they were practically exactly the same. Adrien sat on his couch scrolling through the channels on his TV. After a while, he turned it off and groaned in frustration.

 

“Nothing good on, huh?” a voice caught him off guard. When he turned toward it, Ladybug was hanging in front of his window.

 

“No, not really. What are you doing here?” he wondered.

 

“Well, it seems a certain kitty-cat forgot about patrol so I have to take his section of the city as well as my own. I’m almost done, but it’s tiring.”

 

_It’s not my fault. The stupid meeting ran long, he mentally replied._

 

“You’re dressed up awfully nice. Did you go on a date or are you about to go on one?” she questioned.

 

“Yeah, I did have a date with businessmen from my father’s company. Practically right after school too.” he huffed.

 

“Ouch, that sucks.”

 

“Yeah, I mean I like most of the stuff I do. Fencing, piano, my Chinese lessons, modeling a bit but I don’t want my father’s company. I just don’t. I’m not sure what exactly I want but I know it’s not my father’s company,” he explained.

 

“Well sounds like you’ve got options. You could be a fencing teacher, piano teacher, Chinese teacher, maybe even continue modeling if you wanted or become like a modeling coach or something. Or you could be anything else.”

 

“Well, I have to get going. I’ve still got a little bit of the city to look over and I’ve got school tomorrow.”

 

Adrien noticed she was about to pull on her yo-yo string which would cause her to go up to the roof and she would leave. It was now or never. “Ladybug, wait!” he called out. She looked at him. He struggled to find his voice. “C-can you come in? There’s something I want to tell you.” he finally asked.

 

Ladybug was confused but swung herself in anyway. She retracted her yo-yo and put it on her hip. “I don’t have long.” she reminded him.

 

Adrien sighed. “Well,” He walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. He grabbed the headband. “There’s supposed to be mistletoe on it, but I lost it. I’m not sure where or how but I did. See, I’ve had a crush on you for a while, which is silly because we could never happen, but lately I found someone that I would have a chance with. Though sometimes I still wonder what my life would be like if I could be with you.” he explained.

 

“A citizen and a hero shouldn’t date; it’s too dangerous,” she stated.

 

“I-I get that. Just let me, for a moment, know what it would be like if we could.” he pleaded.

 

“How would I do that?”

 

“A mistletoe kiss,” he suggested.

 

“But you don’t have mistletoe,” she pointed out.

 

“We could pretend?”

 

Ladybug bit her bottom lip. “I-I guess, but it doesn’t mean anything.”

 

“Fine by me.” he agreed as he walked over to her. They were face to face. Their lips only about half a foot apart. He made the move. He put one hand at the back her neck and the other at her waist, pulling her closer. She put her hands on his shoulders.

 

_She smells like the bakery still._

 

_This is way too familiar. I need to finish patrol, but it’s Adrien. Ugh. Curse his good looks and my crush on him._

 

He pulled away. The two were slightly panting.

 

“I’m sorry, I need to go. I have to finish patrol.” She grabbed her yo-yo and pulled down part of it to show herself the time. “I’d be home and asleep by now if that lazy kitty were helping. Bug out!” She closed up her yo-yo, jumped out the window and took off.

 

Adrien crossed his arms. “I’m not lazy,” he huffed, “I was busy.”

 

“Busy spending time with her,” Plagg remarked. Adrien rolled his eyes then started undoing his tie.

 

“You know, if you had really wanted to see why their kisses were so familiar you shouldn’t have made the first move,.” the kwami teased. Adrien froze then let out a frustrated groan.

 

“Kill me.”

 

“Can’t. Won’t.” Plagg stated before dodging the tie Adrien threw.

 

“Shut up Plagg. Let me mourn my good plan making skills.” he requested.

***

Marinette laid in her bed. She couldn’t sleep with the way her head was spinning. Why was her kiss with Adrien so familiar? She couldn’t figure out what it was similar to.

 

“Marinette, go to sleep,” Tikki advised.

 

“I can’t Tikki. I need to figure this out.”

 

“Sleep on it and figure it out tomorrow,” the kwami suggested. Marinette sighed and closed her eyes.

 

_The only way my kiss with Adrien can be similar is if it was similar to another kiss. But the only other guy I’ve ever kissed is Chat._

 

She tried to relax. There was no way her kiss with Adrien could be similar to her kiss with Chat. It must’ve felt familiar because she had kissed Adrien before. With that thought, she relaxed more, but she kept replaying the kiss in her head. Her feelings, his touch, the sparks that seemed to burst inside of her. She realized now that as she replayed the kiss in her head, Adrien had started to mold into Chat. The more she tried to go back to Adrien the more it became Chat Noir. She bolted upright and smacked her head on the ceiling. “Ouch! Damn,” she muttered.

 

“Marinette! Language,” Tikki scolded.

 

“Sorry,” she apologized.

 

“I thought you were trying to sleep. Why’d you suddenly sit upright?” Tikki asked.

 

“Because, I think I just figured out who Chat Noir is,” she answered.

***

No more than a couple minutes after Marinette walked into the school a voice stopped her.

 

“Hey, Marinette.”

 

She jumped then turned to the person. Of course, it was Adrien. They had been talking a lot lately and had gotten really close.

 

She suddenly remembered what he had said last night. _“But lately, I found someone that I would have a chance with.”_ Of course! It made sense. Chat Noir had kissed her and then the next day Adrien was all awkward. “H-hey A-Adrien,” she stuttered. _Woah. Where’d that come from? I haven’t stuttered around him for like a week. Why now?_

 

“Are you ok? You seem nervous or something.”

 

“I’m f-fine, r-really.” she assured him. _Why is he not awkward anymore?_

 

“Alright then,” he said and started walking off.

 

 _What am I doing? Am I just going to let him walk away? No. I need to tell him that I know. Move!_ She grabbed his wrist. “Wait. I need to talk to you, in private.” she requested.

 

He looked at her, somewhat shocked. “Ok. Wher-woah!” She pulled him into the locker room which was thankfully empty.

 

“Marinette what is-”

 

“Close your eyes,” she interrupted.

 

“What?” he questioned.

 

“Close your eyes.” She repeated. He sighed and did so anyway. She opened her purse and pulled out some mistletoe. She held it up as high as she could in between them. “Ok, open them now.” she instructed.

 

He opened them and quickly noticed her arm raised and then the mistletoe. “What the-”

She cut him off by kissing him then brought her hand down and put her arms around his neck. She couldn’t feel his hands so she knew they were still hovering. After a few moments, she pulled away and smirked at his dumbfounded, confused expression then pushed the mistletoe towards him.

 

“Here, It’s yours. You left it at my place silly kitty.” She tapped his nose, turned on her heel and walked out. As she walked out, she let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Do you think he’ll catch on?” Tikki asked, poking her head out of Marinette’s purse.

 

“Yeah, I think he will. Though I’m worried he’ll be late to class.” she responded with a smile.

 

“Who’ll be late to class?” Alya questioned, walking up to Marinette.

 

“Um, Adrien. He was up really late last night- couldn’t sleep. He was talking to me because of it, but I eventually had to sleep so I had to stop talking with him. I’m just worried he’ll accidentally sleep in.” she answered quickly.

 

“Nope, I woke up right on time. I went to sleep shortly after we stopped talking. Thanks for being there, Marinette.” Adrien interrupted as he walked up to the two.

 

Marinette looked at him. He seemed calm and collected. Not at all the way she had left him just mere moments ago.

 

“Looks like Nino’s going to be the one running late. Class is about to start, come on.” Alya pointed out.

 

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. “I am Downsize and you will all pay for calling me short even when I’m not the shortest one here!” A female voice called out. She removed something from her wrist. A giant strand of light came from her hand. She swung it at Kim and it hit him. He was instantly shortened to a height that made him shorter than Alix.

 

Marinette quickly made a break for the girl’s bathroom. “Looks like we’ll all be late to class. Tikki, spots on!” she called out. Ladybug carefully got out of the bathroom then made it up to the top of the school and jumped into the courtyard as if she were just arriving. “Go! Hide in the classrooms!” she called out to the few students that were still standing around. They all quickly followed her orders.

 

Except for one. Adrien.

 

He was in the corner near the entrance digging through his bag. Why wasn’t he running off to transform? She couldn’t have been wrong about him, could she?

 

“Well if it isn’t Ladybug. I should shrink you down small enough so you can fit in the palm of my hand like a real Ladybug. But first, I’ll need your Miraculous.” Downsize demanded and whipped the light at her. She dodged and swung her yo-yo at the akuma’s wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

 

 _This looks like it’s going to be easy. Maybe I won’t need him after all._ She heard the sound of a bracelet hitting the ground. Downsize no longer had the giant whip-like object in her hand but there was a slap-bracelet on the ground behind her. _That could be where the akuma is._

 

Downsize started to turn around to grab it with her other hand but Ladybug pulled her back away from it. “You can’t beat me on your own Ladybug!” she declared. She threw the arm that the yo-yo was around forward and Ladybug went flying. The yo-yo detached from Downsize’s arm and Ladybug quickly swung it onto a building to pull herself back to the school. Maybe this wouldn’t be so easy.

***

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Ladybug called out, throwing her Lucky Charm in the air. A swarm of ladybugs repaired all damage that had been done during the attack. A cloud of purple and black smoke enveloped Downsize and turned her back to normal. “Pound-” she started as she reached her hand out to fist bump with Chat Noir only to remember that he wasn’t transformed. She shook her head and walked over to Downsize who was now Tiana. “Don’t listen to anyone that calls you short, ok? I’m not that much taller than you. If you know what they say isn’t true then don’t listen to them.” she suggested.

 

Tiana looked up at the superheroine. “Thanks. It was only this one girl and she had been doing it yesterday too. I ignored her yesterday but then she did it today and I couldn’t take it.” She paused. “Why did you let her become a superhero?” she whispered. Of course, it was Chloe.

 

Ladybug smiled. “People aren’t all bad. Some can change. What I did can help her change.” There was a beep from her earrings. “You should get going to class. Bug out!” she said then took off. She found an alley near the school and landed in it just as a final chirp from her earrings ran out and her transformation dropped. She was mad, but she couldn’t show it.

 

Why hadn’t he helped her?

 

Why did he just stand there in the corner, afraid?

 

He was lucky that she didn’t need him otherwise he’d so be getting a lecture from her. He still might. She quickly ran back to school. She quietly opened the door to the classroom and quickly took her seat.

 

“Alright, class. Today we will be starting on a partner project. I will be choosing your partners.” Miss Bustier announced before turning towards the late comer, “Also glad you could join us, Marinette.”

 

Marinette gave an embarrassed smile and her cheeks turned red a bit.

 

“Let’s see, we’ll have Alya and Nino, Chloe and Sabrina, Ivan and Mylene, Max and Kim, Nathaniel and Lila, Rose and Juleka, Tiana and Alix, and finally Adrien and Marinette.” Miss Bustier decided.

 

Oh _great_. She had to talk to Adrien now even if she really didn’t want to. Not now. Why couldn’t she have been with Alya?

 

“The project is about ways we can spread around Christmas cheer and help others who can’t have the kind of Christmases we have or a Christmas at all. You have three days. We will be doing this in class, but if you feel your pair will need more time then you may work on it outside of school. Now get with your partners if you need to.”

 

“Miss Bustier, I have a hard time working with other people. It’s a distraction really. Plus, whenever I do there’s always one person that hates me and I don’t know why. Can I work on this by myself?” Lila asked from the back of the room.

 

Marinette let out a low growl and tightened her grip on her pencil. She knew she was referring to Ladybug and Marinette, and she didn’t like it.

 

“You must do this in pairs; Nathaniel gets along very well with people. This is 50% of your grade. If you don’t work with a partner then your grade for the project automatically gets dropped to a 50, and there won’t be a way to re-do it.” Miss Bustier responded firmly.

 

Lila quietly sat down and started working with Nathaniel.

 

“Finally, some justice for her lies,” Marinette muttered.

 

“How about we focus on our project and not Lila and her lies?” Adrien suggested earning a shrug from his partner.

 

“Yeah, sure.” she responded flatly.

 

“Do you think we’ll need to work on it outside of school?” he questioned.

 

“No, I don’t. Plus, I’m busy with the bakery and you’re busy with your modeling, fencing, and everything else.” she told him.

 

“I can get my schedule cleared for school stuff. It’s not that big-”

 

“We don’t need time outside of school, ok?” she snapped.

 

Adrien took a deep breath. “Ok,” he said softly.

 

Marinette started jotting down ideas on a piece of paper when she felt something hit her arm. She looked at it. It was a stack of sticky notes. The top one had something on it:

 

_Are you Ladybug?_

 

She pulled it off, crumbled it up, and put it in her purse then went back to brainstorming.

***

Marinette looked out across the sky. She oh so loved looking at Paris during the night. All the bright lights, the dull blues and greys, and her favorite part, the Eiffel Tower. She always took that part of the city on patrols.  

 

“Marinette you shouldn’t be so hard on him. I’m sure he had a good reason.” Tikki suggested.

 

“Well, I want to know the reason,” she argued.

 

“But you didn’t give him a chance at all today to tell you.” Tikki pointed out.

 

“Well, it was school. It was too public of a place. He can tell me on patrol tomorrow. I’m pretty sure he’s figured me out. He could’ve really tried to tell me if he really wanted to. He could’ve pulled me aside like I did that morning. He could’ve tried to say something!” she explained.

 

“He’s not one to press on serious matters. You know that. You’re just so mad at him.” Tikki reminded her.

 

Marinette started crying. “It’s not just that Tikki. I felt abandoned when he didn’t help. It hurt. Everytime he gets controlled, I hate fighting him. It hurts. When he got hit by Style Queen and he couldn’t help, it hurt.” Her breath hitched and she started crying harder. “It really really hurts. It hurt to know that he was right there and doing nothing. Whenever I fight him and whenever he’s not there helping me it feels like a piece of me gets ripped away. It’s like when Timebreaker got him. I hated seeing him fade there. Seeing that he took the hit.” she sobbed. Wiped away a few tears and sniffed. “Dumb cat’s going to get himself seriously hurt protecting me.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Marinette gasped and whirled around to see a pair of slitted green eyes staring at her. It was Chat Noir.

 

“I was in a rush this morning. Your lie about me staying up wasn’t entirely a lie. I did stay up a bit because I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about when you kissed me when I was Adrien and when Ladybug kissed me when I was Chat Noir. They were similar and I was confused. I conked out at my desk. Nathalie had woken me up but I was taking a while to get ready for school. I was eventually rushed out the door to the car and it didn’t hit me until the akuma that I had accidentally left my ring at home. I wanted to tell you but you were fighting. I wanted to tell you later on but you were mad. I couldn’t blame you. And you think it hurts to be left alone to fight? It also hurts to know that you’re helpless. Helpless in fighting and helpless in fighting with the good guys. When I’m forced to fight against you I feel trapped. Trapped inside my own skin. I can’t see, hear, feel or control myself. I hate fighting against you just as much as, if not more than, you hate fighting me. I can’t help protecting you. You’re the one that fixes everything. You can’t risk being controlled. Plus you mean too much to me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I failed to protect you and something devastating happened.” He explained on the verge of tears.

 

“Hey, remember Sandboy?” she asked, walking towards him. He gave her a puzzled look, but nodded his head. She chuckled to herself. “My greatest fear when I first got hit with the dust was that you, as Adrien, loved Chloe and not me. It was really creepy. I can’t even describe it.” she stated.

 

He laughed a bit too. “Mine’s not as crazy or creepy. I mean, a little to me. Being trapped alone. These bars just kept coming down in my room and Plagg was gone.” he told her.

 

“You’ll never be alone now, kitty,” she whispered and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

 

He smiled and put an arm around her. “I know and I’m glad. Je t’aime Bugaboo.” he said softly.

 

“Je t’aime Adrien,” she said back.

**Author's Note:**

> Woo! I finished it! Hope you liked it (especially you Chimpu). Thanks RoseGardenTwilight for looking over it for me :D


End file.
